The Roundtable

Benjamin Wood has written four very different novels that explore the creative process and relationships between parents and children. His fifth novel, Seascraper, is a vividly imagined, layered, and economical mediation on these themes, and it is full of surprises. From a very atmospheric description of a vanishing way of life, to great suspense, to the hint ultimately of optimism in its final characters. The novel was longlisted for the 2025 Booker prize.

This week's Book Picks comes from Suzanna Hermans who join us from Oblong Books in Millerton and Rhinebeck, NY.

The Roundtable Panel: a daily open discussion of issues in the news and beyond. Today's panelists are Joseph Palamountain Jr. Chair in Government at Skidmore College Beau Breslin, Former Vice President for Editorial Development at the New York Press Association Judy Patrick, and Wall Street Investment Banker Mark Wittman.

Jennifer Keishin Armstrong writes about pop-culture in books like ‘Sienfeldia’ and ‘When Women Invented Television.’ She currently curates and writes the ‘Peabody Finds’ newsletter, featuring recommendations and media history, from the prestigious Peabody Awards in broadcasting. She is the co-founder of the ‘Ministry of Pop Culture’ Substack. Her new book, out tomorrow from Dutton, is ‘Parks and Rec: The Underdog TV Show that Lit’rally Inspired a Vision for a Better America.’

In the new book ‘Son of Nobody,’ Yann Martel offers a compelling dual narrative that is immediately striking and unusual on the page. At once a retelling of the trojan war and a heart wrenching record of modern grief and ambition; Martel’s novel grapples with questions of history and mythology whose stories deserve to be told, how do we make meaning in the face of fate’s random cruelty, and chaos.

Historian Robert Brigham has spent a career studying the Vietnam War, shaping how Americans understand one of the nation’s most complex conflicts. A professor at Vassar College and a leading voice on U.S. foreign policy, Brigham now turns inward with his new book, 'This Is a True War Story: My Improbable History with Vietnam.' The memoir blends scholarship with deeply personal discovery, tracing his journey as an adoptee who learns that his biological father was a renowned Marine combat photographer in Vietnam. As Brigham reconstructs both a family history and a national one, the book explores memory, identity, and the enduring legacy of war - on the battlefield and across generations at home.

The Roundtable Panel: a daily open discussion of issues in the news and beyond. Today's panelists are Professor of History and International Relations at Vassar College Robert Brigham, Political Consultant and lobbyist Libby Post, and Diplomat in Residence at Bard College Donna Welton.

Each weekday morning, The Roundtable's Joe Donahue is joined by various experts, journalists, educators, and commentators to discuss current events. On Roundtable Panel: The Week in Review, we feature your favorite panelists discussing news items from the previous week.

2026 Davenport Resident Amina Claudine Myers will perform in the Studley Theatre at SUNY New Paltz on Tuesday, April 7 at 7:30 p.m. Amina will perform songs from her recent album "Solace of the Mind’ and the concert will feature a new solo piano piece written for Department of Music Assistant Professor Phyllis Chen.Amina Claudine Myers was named an NEA Jazz Master in 2024 and received a 2025 Mellon Foundation Artist Award. Her recent record release, “Solace of the Mind,” was named among the 10 Best Jazz Records of 2025 by the New York Times.

Nick Offerman is known to many as Ron Swanson on the TV series ‘Parks and Recreation’ and has done a ton of other work including last year where he was the announcer for the Academy Awards. He is also a writer, humorist, and master woodworker who runs the Los Angeles based Offerman Woodshop. He has written several bestselling books celebrating craftsmanship, storytelling, and the pleasures of working with one’s hands. Now he is bringing those passions to the stage with ‘Big Woodchuck: An Evening of Comedy with Woodworking and Bookish Mirth.’ It is a live show blending standup, reflection of craft and literary humor, and the tour stops at The Palace Theatre in Albany, NY on 4/11.